Capriccio

Instrumentation

Pf

Year

1981

Duration

13:00

I wrote my CAPRICCIO for Piano between 29 December 1980 and 2 March 1981, in response to a commission from Robert Miller, whose passing in 1981 was a great and premature loss to music, and for me the loss of a dear friend.

Miller was never to play the piece, but it could not have found a better initial exponent than Alan Feinberg, a colleague of Miller’s, who gave the first performance on 14 April 1982, at a concert in the Symphony Space, New York, to honor the late pianist’s memory.

The work is a single-movement span of about 15 minutes, and in general proceeds from less to more active, from softer to louder. Its demands on the performer are substantial, and are intended for a degree of virtuoso display.